


for a second there, i lost myself

by bloodredcherries



Category: Baby-Sitters Club - Ann M. Martin
Genre: Gen, Trick or Treat: Treat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-29
Updated: 2018-10-29
Packaged: 2019-08-09 09:32:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16447295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bloodredcherries/pseuds/bloodredcherries
Summary: A comment made by Dawn makes Richard think he is being haunted by the ghost of his late wife.





	for a second there, i lost myself

**Author's Note:**

  * For [OzQueen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/OzQueen/gifts).



> Hello there <3\. I hope that you like this. I love your fics, they are so beautiful.

“I feel like I’m being haunted,” Richard announced, his tone entirely too dramatic for his comfort, as he slid into the seat he had claimed at the kitchen table at Edie’s new house months ago, taking a sip of the coffee that she’d offered him, when he’d shown up, unannounced. “It’s ridiculous, I know, but it’s the  _ only _ explanation.”

 

“Why do you think you’re being haunted?” She asked him, and he appreciated her commitment to maintaining a serious expression, as he felt entirely too ridiculous to be having this conversation. “I don’t understand, Richard, you are probably the last person I know that would ever believe in ghosts.” She sighed. “Were you talking to Karen when you were staying here after the fire? You know better than to listen to her.”

 

He shook his head. “No, this is nothing like that,” he said. “I’m being serious. Ever since we moved into the Goldmans’ house...it’s like I’m being  _ watched _ .” He scowled. “I blame Dawn, really,” he sighed. “I’m sure that this has an  _ entirely _ rational explanation.” 

 

“What is Dawn saying to you?” There is a hint of amusement in her tone, and he sighed, running a hand through his hair. “You know that she rivals Karen for her active imagination, when it comes to occultism.” 

 

“She told her mother and me that it was possible that Alma had had a hand in our remaining in Stoneybrook,” he said, recounting the conversation that his stepdaughter had had with them a few days prior, before her return to California. “That she was becoming a force in our lives from the beyond, and then she offered to conduct a  _ seance _ to try to summons her.” Richard took another sip of coffee. “I said no, of course.”

 

“Then?”

 

“Then, she offered to let us use her  _ Ouija  _ board, which somehow survived the fire, and she is refusing to let us replace with one that doesn’t smell like it was nearly burnt to cinders,” he sighed. “No, again.” 

 

“So, why do you think that you’re being haunted?” Edie questioned. 

 

“Well, after Dawn left, I started noticing things,” he admitted. “And, I know that it sounds daft, and maybe it’s just because Dawn put the idea in my head, but they’re...things that remind me of her. The smell of the perfume that she used to wear, the flowers that she used to grow have been  _ everywhere _ on Bradford Court, every time I turn on the EZ-Lite they’re playing a song that she used to listen to...it started to add up.”

 

“Is it possible that those things are just coincidences?” She asked, her voice kind. “I mean, maybe Dawn is right, and Alma is... _ haunting _ you? Maybe she’s just checking on how you’re doing? How you and Mary Anne are faring, with all that’s changed in your lives recently?” She sipped her tea. “Would that really be so bad?”

 

“I suppose not,” he muttered. “I still feel absolutely ridiculous about the entire thing.”

 

“Is it also possible that you’re on edge, Richard?” Edie asked. “It has been a very long summer for you, and I know that Verna is coming by to visit. That can’t be easy on you and Sharon.”

 

“You think I’ve lost it?”

 

“I wouldn’t go that far,” she said. “I wonder if your memories of Alma are providing you comfort, and you’re utilizing the constructs of her haunting you as a way to justify thinking of them, thinking of her. I know you try not to do much of that, Richard.”   
  


“There’s no use on dwelling on the past, Edie,” he sighed. “What’s done is done. Maybe things could have been different had she fallen ill even just a couple years later, if they’d caught...it does no use for me to ponder the banalities of what ifs.” 

 

“I understand that. I’m just saying. Is it possible?”   
  


Richard let out an undignified groan. How was it possible that childish natter from his stepdaughter had led to this? Was he that susceptible to suggestion? This did not bode well for him. Edie reached out and squeezed his hand. 

 

“I suppose it’s possible. That you might be correct.” 

 

“It’s not a bad thing, Richard,” she assured him. “I think it’s quite normal.” 

 

“To be led astray by the mind of a teenager?” He questioned. 

 

“Oh, definitely,” she laughed. “That happens to the best of us. Even me.”

 

He offered her a smile. “How did you hear about Verna’s upcoming visit?”

 

“Mary Anne told me,” she said. “She came by the other day to babysit Emily.” 

 

“I feel ridiculous,” he admitted. “Thank you for indulging my foray into the truly bizarre.” 

 

“It was no trouble,” she said, her tone earnest. “I’ve missed having you around. It was a nice surprise.” 


End file.
